Saturday, June 14, 2014

As you all have heard Dr. Mark Toback has accepted a
position as superintendent for the Wayne NJ school district.I wish to share with you my personal thoughts
on this matter.

Yes, as a Board Trustee I was aware of this potential
situation, however it would have been unethical for me or any of the other eight board trustees to discuss a personnel situation until it is no longer
confidential or we would have been exposing the district to possible litigation
if the information was misused. As soon as the board was informed that
this potential existed we began discussing as a full board what our next steps
would be not only to find a permanent superintendent but also to ensure that
the district continue to run smoothly during a possible interim period.

In the state of NJ the average tenure for a superintendent
is less than 3 years. Dr. Toback is currently here over 3 years and our last
permanent superintendent, Mr. Jack Raslowsky, was here about 2 years. Our
community has watched most of the schools in our town, transition to new
leadership and also watched these parent groups feel anxiety during the
selection and transition process; inevitably, the interim period passes and the
new leader brings new ideas and new energy to the school.

Dr. Toback will leave big shoes to fill, but I
am confident as we begin the search for a replacement, we will find a capable
committed individual who brings new ideas and energy to our schools.

Parents, I want to address you directly and hopefully
relieve some of your anxiety, I know how you are feeling because my son is a 6th
grader at Wallace on his way next year (and he is EXTREMELY excited) to the
Junior High School.Remember, good
leaders prepare an organization for every possibility.An important part of leadership is ensuring
that you empower your employees to perform their responsibilities
independently.A great leader insures
that the organization can stand on its own even in their absence.Your children remain in very capable
hands.Your principals are intact; they
continue to report to the Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Miguel Hernandez, who personally
works with all our school administrators to assist them when they need it.This happens today and it will continue to
happen when Dr. Toback moves on.When I
was elected to the board in 2009, I worked with the Raslowsky administration,
Interim Carter/Rusak Administration and now the Toback administration.I have complete faith in the organization
that Dr. Toback has built.

This district has made tremendous progress under Dr.
Toback, the latest being the 93% language arts proficiently on the HSPA at the
High School and the turnaround of Connors elementary school.An important criterion of our first search
was documented proof of high school improvement/success.Though I can only speak for myself, this will
still be a priority for me as the progress and tremendous momentum in our High
School must continue.With our
dedication to revitalizing classroom resources, textbooks, smartboards, science
labs and professional development our K-12 teachers engage our “twenty-first
century” children every day to succeed and will continue to as we end this year
and come back in September.

We need to come together as a community to celebrate the progress
and success of our district and thank Dr. Toback for giving us three and a half
years of steadfast commitment to our children.I will miss him, as a colleague and a friend; however, I look forward to
a new chapter in the Hoboken District Schools as they are re-energized by a new
future leader.

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become
better. —Bill Bradley